In this section...

Upcoming courses

We both loved the way Sheila Harper presented herself - not to 'tell' or 'advise' us on what to believe or not (like many trainers do in a sometimes intimidating manner) but to allow us to think...

It was superbly facilitated and directed with dog handling, case studies, and in-depth perspective being important.

Sheila is not into "Sit", "Down", "Stay". The concentration is on having a positive and gentle development with your dog - you are a team - so that you can both enjoy...

I have been to presentations before where your attention starts to wander and where you can’t wait for the course to end. I was completely focused on this course for the whole 2 days; there was...

“What a weekend that was! Will life with my dog ever be the same again? I hope not! I now have some tools for a new start with my first ever dog who, at 14 months, had lost his trust in me...

“I soon realised that my inexperience really didn’t matter, as what we had come to learn about was new to everyone. We all had a similar motivation for doing the course. To do the best...

“A wonderfully stimulating and well organised weekend. It exceeded my expectations both in content and presentation.”

“I admire Sheila’s passion, calm positive energy and tireless motivation for teaching and sharing her profound, pioneering and unique philosophy and knowledge of dogs and owners.”

“I learned a great deal and ‘Bod’ was so relaxed and stress free due to your fantastic organisation. I do so appreciate how much hard work and thought goes into the preparation of...

“At that time, I still believed in Pack Leadership, dominance, control and obedience. Sheila opened my eyes and mind to the possibility that there was a different way to work with my three...

“I wanted to say a big thank you for the hard work and time put into the courses and for the patience and understanding of where I am at and what I have still to learn. It could be quite...

“We haven't been able to stop thinking about what we learnt and we're hungry for more. We bought half a dozen books to keep us going!”

ISPACS: International Shelter Programme for Applied Canine Studies

Sheila Harper B Ed, BA with Winny Boerman B.App.Sc

This is a unique course being offered to all shelters in Niederösterreich, Austria.

ContentBias towards dogs, but some areas may be useful for other animals, such as record keeping, rehoming etc.• Understanding canine communicationo Prevention of escalationo Recognition of subtle and overt body languageo Recognition of the emotional state of a dogo Understanding the influence of human body language, how to avoid conflicts and to improve relationships• Handling skills and general husbandry, respect, nutrition & suggestions for feeding regime• Understanding stress, stressors, prevention, management and strategies for stress reduction• Enrichment and appropriate mental and physical exercise• Welfare and provision of basic needs according to the individual; life stages• Safe practices• Assessment • Housing and pairing, and grouping for social learning. Appropriate introductions and how to build up safely• Procedures for care and rehoming• Behaviour problems; steps towards rehabilitating dogs, to give a better overview of the dog for successful rehoming through appropriate support and actions• Key points for working with volunteers• Record keeping